June 10, 2014

Tell me your roundabout stories - Do you like modern traffic circles or not?

@gdickson

What are your experiences on roundabouts?

A handful of North Texas cities began replacing their four-way stop signs with roundabouts beginning less than a decade ago - and now the trend seems like it is really catching fire. More than a dozen of the small, modern traffic circles have recently opened or are under either currently under construction in the Fort Worth/Tarrant County area alone.

But while city planners embrace roundabouts, I've heard that more than a few motorists don't like them. What are your experiences? Ever been in a crash on a roundabout? Do you agree that they add beauty to intersections?

Send an email to gdickson@star-telegram.com or get in touch with @gdickson on Twitter and help guide our coverage of this trend story.

Comments

Many people confuse older styles of circular intersections with modern roundabouts. East coast rotaries, large multi-lane traffic circles (Arc D’Triomphe), and neighborhood traffic circles are not modern roundabouts. If you want to see the difference between a traffic circle, a rotary (UK roundabout) and a modern roundabout (UK continental roundabout), go to http://tinyurl.com/kstate-RAB to see pictures. And here’s another site that shows the difference between an older rotary and a modern roundabout: http://tinyurl.com/bzf7qmg
The FHWA (http://tinyurl.com/fhwaRAB) has a video about modern roundabouts that is mostly accurate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhHzly_6lWM ).
Modern roundabouts are the safest form of intersection in the world. Visit http://tinyurl.com/iihsRAB for modern roundabout FAQs and safety facts. Modern roundabouts, and the pedestrian refuge islands approaching them, are two of nine proven safety measures identified by the FHWA, http://tinyurl.com/7qvsaem
I've driven them in several states (WA, OR, CA, IN, MO, KS, UT, CO, even BC). While perfection is impossible, the vast majority seem to work very well.

I live near Kennedale High School and the city put in several roundabouts in the last year. I didn't like them at first, but they are starting to grow on me. I think they help traffic move more smoothly and minimize the wait time at an intersection.